Football team booted out of Island Games

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 - 15:11

A FOOTBALL team has been kicked out of the NatWest Island Games after trouble at a match last night (Monday).
The game between Rhodes and Jersey was marred by scuffles and bad tempered outbursts by some players and two Rhodes players were sent off during the final minutes.
The game, at St George’s Park, Newport, finished 2-0 to Jersey and the Island Games technical committee met this morning and agreed to disqualify the Rhodes' football team because of its behaviour.
They have also been banned from the next two Island Games.
Referee Keith Stroud sent off Rhodes’ team mates Tilemachos Pattas and Pantelis Athanasiou in the 90th and 99th minutes. There were 11 yellow cards between the two teams.
In addition to suspending the Rhodes team with immediate effect, one player has been given an immediate, on-going suspension from the Island Games.
In a statement issued today (Tuesday) the Island Games Executive Committee said: "It is with great regret such decisions were needed to be made in order to retain the confidence and international integrity of the 'friendly’ games."
It is not the first time the Greek island has been in trouble at the games.
During the 2003 games in Guernsey, the Rhodes team was forced to apologise after five of its players and the manager were sent off and the police were called during a match against the hosts.
The team were barred from taking further part in the games and the players and manager involved were banned from competing in any future Island Games.

This website and its associated newspaper adheres to the Independent Press Standards Organisation Code of Practice.If you have a complaint about editorial content on this website, contact the editor at [email protected], with the word 'complaint' in the subject line.Or if you wish to take the matter further, contact the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) on 0300 123 2220 or e-mail [email protected]